Joan Reeves: March 2020

Fun App: BS Generator for Corporate Slogans

I'm staying at home. Hope you are too. If you're missing your away-from home job, you might want a little fun?

Try this free BS Generator to create corporate slogans.

The comic strip on the webpage illustrates the kind of BS you can generate.

Just click the Generate button and you get marvelous corporate slogans like:

"energistically reconceptualize one-to-one convergence"

"holisticly supply enabled experiences"

"assertively benchmark distributed catalysts for change"

In other words, create corporate slogans that say, the most words, absolutely nothing! My corporate slogan? "I put the K in Kwality."

As the website says, repeat ad nauseam until you've found the perfect one to describe your corporate employer.

Takeaway Truth

Be safe. Be cool. Follow the CDC rule. Have a great Monday!

Sew a Medical Face Mask

Construction fairly simple. Actually easy to sew one.
Image by Juraj Varga from Pixabay

Any sewers out there?

In the Houston area, several people are working with TxRx to sew medical face masks out of tightly woven 100% cotton.

If you're in the Houston area, you can sign up with this Google Docs form.

Supplies will be delivered to you, and the finished cotton masks will be picked up.

If you'd like to volunteer, do a Google search for your local community to see if anyone has organized this.

Be sure and check Nextdoor if you're a member of that online community. That's another source for finding where to volunteer and also to find patterns.

Even if your sewing skills are barely basic, you can make these because it's just straight stitching. All you really need is a sewing machine. If you have that, chances are you have some fabric and thread. You can even clean out your closet and cut up a couple of cotton shirts for fabric.

Find Patterns Online

Image by Willfried Wende from Pixabay

Patterns and directions abound on Pinterest, websites, and YouTube. The supplies are simple.

Fabric, tightly-woven cotton, thread, and thin elastic. If you have no elastic, look for videos that show face masks with ties.

Some masks are composed of only 2 layers of fabric—a nine-inch strip that's wide enough to fold in half lengthwise. Some have an inner layer. All are easy to make.

You can volunteer to sew dozens of these or simply make some for your family and friends. Best of all, they can be laundered in hot water and bleach. So yoy might want to use color-fast, bleach-safe fabrics.

Videos I Liked

Watch how a cotton mask is made here. This video I found was the most helpful. It's by Erica Arndt on YouTube.

As a nurse commented on Erica's video: "...we were thinking if need be we could wear these over our N95 mask and take them off after patient contact and don a new fabric mask over the top again. This would prolong the use of the N95 masks. We would deposit the fabric masks throughout the day in a bio-hazard bag for laundering. We'd go through a lot, but they would be re-usable!"

Other good videos: Tutorial on How to BATCH sew masks for hospitals! by Thoughtful Creativity.

How to Sew a Face Mask with Filter Pocket and wire to shape top by Leah Day.

Takeaway Truth

Making something like these is a great way to feel you're doing something proactive during this Stay At Home time.

Stay At Home & Be a Tabletop Gamer

Tabletop gaming is all the rage. No electronics required—only a game and what's between your ears and time, something a lot of us have on our hands.

Haven't heard of this? Tabletop games are games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface, such as board games, card games, dice games, miniature wargames, or tile-based games.

I extend tabletop gaming to jigsaw puzzles. In my family, a jigsaw puzzle was a family recreation thing.

Every few months, we'd lay out a new puzzle on a table, and it would stay there until we'd completed the puzzle. All of us—parents and brothers and me and anyone who dropped by—would pick up puzzle pieces and try to put some together.

I carried that tradition into my household as a Christmas tradition. We'd dump the pieces of a monster sized jigsaw puzzle onto a card table.

Then we all participate, spending as little as thirty minutes and as much as hours trying to fit those pieces together.

We'd have music playing in the background, and we'd sing along every now and then. Most of all, it was shared time together.

Stay At Home Projects

I've got a cupboard full of board games and jigsaw puzzles. If you don't, order some from Amazon. They've got all of the popular ones. Get a game or two and a puzzle.

Putting a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle together teaches eye-hand coordination, mental-visual acuity, persistence, and time.

There's something addictive about putting puzzles together, and kids really like that "wow" feeling when they get pieces to fit.

Jigsaw puzzles are rated by age the same as games. For little kids, go with fewer puzzle pieces in larger sizes like the Toy Story puzzle above.

They come in all shapes, sizes, and price points.

For something really challenging, pick a puzzle with a picture that's either finely detailed or almost monochromatic.

Wow, putting together a thousand pieces that are all about the same color is mind-boggling.

The Age of Discover puzzle is a good example of complexity as well as the themes of puzzles. You'll find them keyed to popular movies, books, and historical events.

If your kids want to save the completed puzzles, you can get Puzzle Saver, a stick on cut-and-fit adhesive to preserve it.

This inexpensive product is "Made by Puzzle Enthusiasts for Puzzle Enthusiasts."

Make the most of your time together and make memories for years to come.

Takeaway Truth

You might never be able to brag about your video game skills, but tabletop gaming? You can rock that!

Computer Monitors and Dry Eyes

If you spend a lot of time staring at a screen of any kind, you probably notice how tired, itchy, and blurry your eyes can get.

There's more to this problem than tired eyes.

You may not realize it, but when you stare at a computer screen all day, you blink much less than normal.

In fact, research shows that the average person blinks 60% less than usual. Since blinking is what "lubes" the eyeball, this is why your eyes dry out, get red, irritated, and itchy.

You can get expensive dry eye medication, but, chances are, if you have no underlying eye condition, a simple solution may work for you.

Tilt your compute screen down a little. Your eyes shift downward to see it. As this happens, your eyelid will cover more of your eyeball.

Without making a conscious effort, you will automatically blink more often, keeping your eyes moist and more comfortable.

You can do the same with a handheld device. Just lower it rather than having it right in front of your face for long periods of time.

Takeaway Truth

Try this simple fix and see if your eyes feel better. If not, make an appointment with your eye doctor.

Need an Editor? Try Susan R. Hughes

Susan R. Hughes Editing Service

My friend Susan R. Hughes, a USA bestselling author of romance as well as an editor for a Canadian newspaper, is accepting new clients for her private editing service.

Susan can make your manuscript sparkle!

She is a full-service editor offering everything from proofreading to copy editing.

Sample of Offered Services: Copy Editing

Will edit your final draft for grammar, spelling, punctuation, word usage and other mechanics of style, check for consistency, and suggest minor revisions to improve clarity or flow.
Fee: 0.0065¢ USD per word

Sample of Offered Services: Proofreading

Will proofread your previously edited final draft for typos and other errors (grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage). Fee: 0.0045¢ USD per word

Visit her Editing Service page on her website for all the details including glowing testimonials.

Takeaway Truth

Susan R. Hughes is thorough, reputable, and knows the romance genre inside and out. Best of all, she offers high-quality results at affordable rates.

I Urge You to Self Quarantine

In case you are someone who is not following the CDC guidelines and self-quarantining, I hope you read this breakdown of why COVID-19 is so much more dangerous than common flu.

I'm not trying to spread fear. I'm trying to spread common sense and make people aware of what they can do to stop the spread of this highly contagious virus.

It's not just your health at stake, it's the other 59,000 people that may become infected because of your refusal to self-quarantine. Yes, 59,000!

This calculation is from a World News Yahoo article.

Calculation for Infections With Common Flu

"An intensive-care specialist has broken down just how infectious the new coronavirus is, illustrating the importance of self-isolating to slow the spread of the COVID-19 disease around the world.

"Professor Hugh Montgomery, director of the Institute for Human Health and Performance at University College London, told Channel 4's "Dispatches" that the virus is three times more infectious than the flu, and therefore spreads much faster and wider."

Montgomery said, "Normal flu, if I get that, I'm going to infect on average 1.3, 1.4 people ... by the time it's happened 10 times, I've been responsibly for about 14 cases of flu."

(That figure comes from calculating 1.4 to the power of ten = 13.786, rounded up to 14.)

Calculation for Infections With CoViD-19

"This coronavirus is very, very infectious, so every person passes to it 3, now that doesn't sound like much of a difference, but if each of those 3 pass it to 3 and that happens in 10 layers, you can be responsible for infecting 59,000 people."

(This figure is calculated from raising 3 to the power of 10 which yields 59,059!)

More than 50,000 people? What will happen to those people? Will they have a mild case? A severe case? Will they die?

Takeaway Truth

This is time when we all need to focus on selflessness and think of the greater good.

Do your part.

Use your head.

Stop the spread.

Don't be a fool—follow the CDC rule.

Fun App: I Write Like

Let's talk about something other than what's NOT at supermarkets and drugstores.

Here's a fun app—free too— for you to play around with today. Have your kids try it too. One of them might be a budding literary genius!

I Write Like

When the app opens, paste in a couple of paragraphs of your writing into the box.

You can use part of a blog, a diary post, a page from your work in progress, your kids' writing assignments, or just about anything.

Click the Analyze button. The I Write Like app, a statistical analysis tool, will analyze your word choice and writing style, and compare the sample with the word choice and style of famous writers.

Takeaway Truth

Have a great week, and remember to follow the health guidelines!

Disinfect Your Digital Devices

Want to know the most germ-filled thing you own?

Probably your cell phone.

Next would be your computer keyboard and/or laptop/tablet.

In this CoVid-19 era of germ-phobia, you might want to start cleaning your digital devices a few times every day.

Especially clean them several times daily if you have the terrible habit of using your cell phone while you're using a restroom! Yuck! Can you say E. coli?

You may not be cleaning your cell phone and other devices because you don't know how to do it without damaging them.

So let's take it item by item.

iPhone Disinfection

Buy cell phone wipes at the store or make your own disinfecting solution using 60% isopropyl alcohol and distilled water.

Get a clean soft cloth or a microfiber cloth or some cotton swabs (Q-tips). Mix up a solution of 4 tablespoons of alcohol and 6 tablespoons of distilled water although tap water would probably work if you're in a pinch.

Dampen a small section of the cloth or a Q-tip in this solution—dampen, don't have liquid dripping from the swab or cloth. Wipe the damp cloth over both sides and edges of the phone. It should dry in seconds.

Keyboard, Tablet, or Laptop Disinfection

If your device has batteries, remove them. If attached to a computer, turn computer off, and unplug the device. If a tablet or laptop, turn off.

Turn the keyboard, tablet, or laptop upside down and shake to dislodge crumbs of food that may be caught between and under the keys.

Using the same disinfection solution above, dampen Q-tips and go over the top of every key and in between the keys. There should be no visible dripping going on.

Use a dampened soft cloth to wipe down the body of the keyboard including the bottom.

Set it aside for an hour or so to make sure it dries completely. Plug it back in and boot up.

Cleaning Monitors/Screens

We swipe tablets; we touch monitors and screens. Germs can be a problem as much as fingerprints and dust, but monitors, tablet screens, etc. are tricky. It's easy to damage them. Buy monitor cleaning cloths for safe results.

If you really feel you need to clean your screens because of CoVid-19, use a solution of distilled water and mild soap like Ivory dishwashing liquid or a product made for monitor screens.

Dampen a microfiber cloth and wring it out then use it to wipe down the screen. Wipe away any trace of moisture with a clean dry cloth.

Never use paper towels or tissues because they contain wood fibers and can damage the screen. Never use a household cleaner like Windex. Never spray anything on the monitor.

Takeaway Truth

Make cleaning your devices a regular habit.

Homemade Disinfectant Spray

Image by Willfried Wende from Pixabay

Do you need a spray disinfectant? Chances are the answer is yes.

Do you have some laundry bleach like Clorox and an empty spray bottle?

Then you can easily make your own. But first, there's something very important to know about laundry bleach.

Using Bleach? Use Caution!

Bleach is toxic and can irritate your skin so don't spill it on your hands or body. If you do, flush with water.

Always keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Bleach fumes are bad for your respiratory system so don't be in a closed space when you mix this us.

Bleach can be deadly if mixed with other cleaners that may contain ammonia, vinegar or similar
acetic compounds, or isopropyl alcohol.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Pixabay

If mixed with ammonia, it creates chloramine gas. Breathing in the fumes can cause coughing, shortness of breath, and pneumonia!

If mixed with vinegar or other acidic compounds, it creates chlorine gas. Excessive exposure can cause chest pain, vomiting, and even death!

If mixed with alcohol, it becomes chloroform. Breathing in chloroform can cause fatigue, dizziness, and fainting. Too much can cause death!

In other words, be smart. Know what you're doing, and take precautions to not mix it with anything other than what is listed below. Also, use in a well-ventilated room.

Spray Sanitizer Recipe

* 2 tablespoons of bleach
* 1 quart of water

This makes 1 quart of a 1,000+ ppm (parts per million) disinfecting solution.

Pour the water into a clean 32-ounce container. Add 2 tablespoons of bleach. Put the top on and secure. Gently shake the solution. Use as you would a product like Clorox Clean-Up® to disinfect sinks, counters, appliances, etc.

If you want to make a large amount of this disinfectant, use these proportions:

* 1/3 cup bleach
* 1 gallon of water

Use a funnel to pour this into spray bottles. Store in a closed container in a dark corner away from heat.

How To Use

Image by succo, Pixabay

After cleaning with detergent, spray or wipe surfaces with the homemade disinfectant. Make sure to allow surfaces to air dry completely.

Remember, this solution has bleach so use caution if spraying on a cloth to wipe door knobs, appliance handles, car door openers, a car steering wheel, etc.

If the bleach comes into contact with something that is not color-fast like clothes, carpet, drapes, fabric car seats, etc. it will remove the color.

Takeaway Truth

Good luck. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Practice CDC guidelines.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer With Fresh Aloe Vera

Image by Rosina-Sch from Pixabay

When you can't get to a sink to wash your hands (20 seconds please), hand sanitizers are a must.

However, with so many people stockpiling crucial products like hand sanitizers, disinfectant sprays, etc., it's difficult to find a hand sanitizer or a sanitizing spray in the stores.

It's even hard to find aloe vera gel and isopropyl alcohol.So start looking for 60% isopropyl alcohol every time you go out.

If you find sanitizers, make sure they are at least 60% alcohol. Some sanitizers are alcohol-free and won't be as effective in killing bacteria and viruses.

Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

(1) 60% isopropyl alcohol is highly flammable. Be careful. Don't use around heat or flame. It's also very harsh on the skin so if you get it on your skin, flush with water. Best is to wear disposable nitrile gloves, but those are as hard to come by as hand sanitizers and TP.

(2) If you have an empty hand sanitizer pump bottle, use it for your homemade sanitizer. A hand lotion bottle will also work, but you must clean it thoroughly.

(3) If you can't find any aloe vera gel in the stores, you can use fresh aloe from your houseplant if you have one. I've always kept a plant in the kitchen just to treat burns from cooking.

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup of 60% isopropyl alcohol
* 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (counteracts harshness of alcohol) or fresh aloe vera. See below.
* 10 drops of essential oils, tea tree oil, oil of cloves, lavender oil, lemon juice, or anything similar if you want the end result to smell "nice"

Directions:

Pour the isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel into a bowl. With a whisk, stir carefully until the mixture is well-blended. It should look "soupy."

Add the aroma ingredients last. Blend well.

Using a funnel, pour into a bottle or jar of your choice. Be sure and label it, and keep it out of the reach of children. It's ready to use immediately.

Image by Free-Photo from Pixabay

What If You Don't Have Aloe Vera Gel?

Guess what? If you have an aloe vera plant, you can use fresh aloe vera i.e., the fleshy gel of the spikes.

Just cut off a few spikes. Wash them well. Slit lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop out the slimy flesh.

Put in a blender or use a mixer to blend well. Measure out 1/4 cup, and you're ready to use the recipe above.

Remember, the best way to stay protected is to wash your hands for 20 seconds after returning from a public place. When out and about, avoid touching your nose, eyes, or mouth, and wash your hands as soon as you can.

Takeaway Truth

Use hand sanitizers correctly which means to apply liberally to your hands and rub your hands together until the gel "disappears."

Written Wisdom: Fear

“Fear has two meanings: Forget everything and run, or face everything and rise. The choice is yours.” — Zig Ziglar.

We're all in this together. Don't be afraid. Be smart and follow the safety protocols established by the CDC.

Encourage your family and friends to do the same.

Don't think of it as being stuck at home. Try to re-frame that.

Think of it as one-on-one time with the people you love. Or, perhaps it's time you can do something you've always wanted to do like learn to knit or binge read or play games with the family or paint the kitchen.

Takeaway Truth

How we feel about a situation is up to each of us, and how our children feel about it is determined by our attitude. Teach them by example to roll with the punches because Life has a lot of them.

Nextdoor Do's and Don'ts

In this troubled time of CoVid19, it's nice to reach out and touch someone online.

One way to do this is with Nextdoor, a community networking website with groups covering 85% of neighborhoods in the U.S.

Do you have a Nextdoor online community where you live? If you do, I encourage you to join.

As a Lead for my neighborhood, I share information with the residents here in neighboring communities. During Hurricane Harvey, I posted pictures of our lake's level and advised newcomers what our elevation here was and whether we'd ever flooded in the last 15 years. I answered questions from those anxious about the situation and passed on information I heard from friends around the Houston area.

Nextdoor is a fabulous place to connect with neighbors, share news, give recommendations about businesses—especially contractors—that are reputable, and even share warnings about a crime or suspicious persons in the area.

Unlike most social media, Nextdoor is monitored and anyone can mark a post as violating Community Guidelines. Then that post goes up for review by Leads, those who are selected to monitor their neighborhoods' NextDoor feed. Flame wars and trading insults are not tolerated.

Nextdoor Do's and Don'ts

Take a deep breath & try not to panic!

1. Don't use Nextdoor as a soapbox for political, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious rants. There's already enough of that on the internet and television.

2. Do use your real name on Nextdoor because you're talking to neighbors who will know you, not some anonymous user who might be living in the Czech Republic.

3. Don't use Nextdoor to chat about deed restriction issues and and/or violations or notices. Everyone who has a HOA or POA has a Board of Directors so address your complaints there.

4. Do ask for help if you need to know something like how to contact animal control, who is a great electrician, where's the closest pizza joint, or other things you'd ask a neighbor who lived next door to you. There are usually several people willing to answer questions.

5. Don't disrespect anyone in your neighborhood, either your physical or your online Nextdoor neighborhood, and never engage in a flame war.

6. Do use categories for what you post. If you want to sell something, then put your post about it in the For Sale or Free category. If you want to talk about any venture in which you earn money, that's business so post it in Business.

Takeaway Truth

Nextdoor is all about being a good neighbor.

Review: CloneSpy

Do you need to clean up your hard drive either to retrieve some space or because you find duplicate apps on it?

If you're like me, you probably download freeware or shareware apps to try them.

If you don't use a certain app for an extended period, you may forget about it. Then you hear about it again and decide to download it—not realizing you've already done that.

CloneSpy is a neat little app that can clean up your hard drive by removing duplicate apps.

How Does CloneSpy Work?

CloneSpy frees up hard drive space by detecting and removing duplicate files. Duplicate files mean those which have exactly the same contents regardless of their name, date, time and location.

Also, it can find files that are not exactly identical, but have the same file name. That's helpful if you have different versions of a file and you want to find all of them and remove the older versions.

A plus is that CloneSpy can also find files that have no content, called zero length files. Go visit the webpage to find out more information, read the FAQ, and download the app.

Takeaway Truth

Your hard drive will run faster with all the crap removed.

Quick Tip: Time and Priorities

Are you living a demanding life? Are there too many "must-do" items on your To-Do List?

What happens when you're trying to achieve something creative, but the demands of your life have drained your physical and emotional energy?

There's only one solution. It's simple but not necessarily easy.

Despite all of our responsibilities—those things that absolutely must be done like a job, taking care of a loved one who needs help, being there for your children and your significant other—we do have some discretionary time.

What To Do With Discretionary Time

(1) First decide what your #1 priority is.

Is it write a book, plant a garden, clean up the clutter in your home, or cook a meal? Identify your priority. Decide that you'll work to achieve that in your discretionary time.

(2) Focus on your priority.

That means no surfing the channels on TV, no binge watching a "comfort" series, no trolling through social media posts, no video games, etc. How badly do you want to achieve it?

(3) Ramp up your passion for achieving that priority.

(4) Let your family know so you'll have their support.

Tell them that's how you'll spend 30 minutes every evening or 1 hour or whatever it may be.

(5) Make that time a priority in your life.

(6) Then fit in all the other minor "must-do" items around that.

Takeaway Truth

It's easy to give in to tiredness, but working on something you really want energizes you. Doing that consistently will give you a feeling of accomplishment, and that causes your brain to release endorphins, the feel good hormones.

Review: 24 Hour War & Shelby American

If you've seen the movie, Ford v. Ferrari that premiered in 2019, you'll be familiar with the subject matter of these 2 Netflix documentaries: 24 Hour War and Shelby American.

Ford v. Ferrari starred Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale as race driver Ken Miles.

The movie was about the fierce rivalry in the 1960s between automobile magnates Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari.

Backstory

I think the rivalry probably stemmed from Henry Ford II tendering an offer to buy Ferrari. Said offer was rebuffed in a rather dismissive way.

The result was that Ford decided to stick it to Ferrari by beating him at LeMans. He had the money and the will to do whatever was necessary to make that happen.

24 Hour War

This documentary is the true story behind the Ford v. Ferrari movie, with film footage of interviews with the important players. It's the truth behind the Ford v Ferrari movie.

Actually, it's more compelling than the movie because you see the real people "acting out" on film, not just actors portraying them.

If you don't subscribe to Netflix, you can rent or buy 24 Hour War from Amazon.

Enter Carroll Shelby

Shelby was a good old boy from Texas who must have had gasoline circulating in his veins. From an early age, he loved driving fast.

(Based on most native-born Texans I've known, this seems to be a fairly common trait. Hat tip to my Darling Hubby who raced his 1964 Buick Skylark.)

Not only did Shelby like to drive fast, like most Texans he was always trying to make his car faster or louder or both.

Back in the day, it was nothing to see these guys jerk an engine out to put in a bigger one or bigger headers or racing slicks. Shelby and other men of that era constantly tinkered with their cars to get more horsepower and speed.

Available only on Netflix

Shelby American

As much as I loved 24 Hour War, I found Shelby American to be an even greater delight.

This documentary is about Carroll Shelby, the man who won LeMans for Henry Ford. Through triumphs and trials, Shelby plugged away at his goal of winning LeMans.

Shelby American also features interviews and vintage film footage to tell the story of how Shelby reinvented his life.

First a Texas farmer, he became a winning race driver, an automotive designer, and, finally, a legend. Not many people can attain the status of being a name known all over the world, but Shelby did it, and he did it his way.

Takeaway Truth

If you have a need for speed and a love of cars, you must see these 2 documentaries.

Even if that doesn't describe you, you'll enjoy 24 Hour War and Shelby American. They're both compelling and feel like fast-paced movies. Just the way Shelby would have wanted it. Fast.

What Can You Do With an English Degree?

I had a lovely email from a reader asking if I could pass along a link to Creative Jobs for English Majors.

Since I had been an English major many decades ago, I was eager to check out the webpage created by Maryville University.

After checking out the website, I knew I'd be happy to recommend it to readers who wondered if they could actually get a well-paying job, doing something they loved, i.e., working with words.

I'm happy to report that there are many opportunities in today's world for those with a Bachelor's in English. (Back in my day, just about everyone with an English degree went on to teach.)

Pleasure, Privilege, Power

If you work with words, you wield power. Think about it. Words can call forth volunteers, woo lovers, nurture the spirit, comfort those in need. Words can start or end wars.

In writing fiction, one selects words to transfer something born of the imagination into words on paper so others can "see" something that didn't exist before you put it into words.

I believe Leo Rosten, a mid-twentieth American writer, did not exaggerate when he said: "Words. They sing. They hurt. They teach. They sanctify. They were man’s first immeasurable feat of magic."

Takeaway Truth

If you love language and long for the chance to make a living articulating ideas in writing, be sure and check out Creative Jobs for English Majors.

Review: PageRank Checker App

Do you wonder how important your blog or website is in the grand scheme of things? Well, Google has a tool that ranks the importance of a website. It's called PageRank.

About Google PageRank

PageRank, or PR, is an algorithm used by Google Search to rank web pages in their search engine results.

Named after Larry Page, one of the founders of Google, PageRank is a way of measuring the importance of website pages.

It works by counting the number and quality of links to a page to determine a rough estimate of a website's importance.

The underlying assumption is that important websites are likely to receive more links from other websites.

In case you think a website's rank isn't that important, let me assure you that it is; otherwise, Google would not have updated the PageRank patent recently.

Why is it important? Because it's one of the factors a search engine like Google takes into account when it decides which results to show at the top of its search engine listings rather than buried in the middle.

Want to know how your websites stack up? Use the PRChecker app that I use.

PR Checker App

It's easy to check any website or blog with PRChecker, a handy PageRank app. No need to register an account. Checking a website is free.

Just put the URL in the checker and verify you're not a robot. That's all there is to it.

Takeaway Truth

So what is your PageRank?

Review: Alexa Skill, Good Morning Gorgeous

(Somehow, I forgot to schedule this to publish first thing this morning. Better late than never?)

Last week I reviewed the Alexa Skill Days Until. I'm using it every day.

In case you're wondering, I'm still using the Alexa Skill Get Me Up. I lay on the living room floor each morning and do a stretching routine.

I'll tell Alexa to "Get Me Up" and she answers with something like, "Put your left foot on the floor then your right and stand up. Get going."

I tell her, "No," and she really gets going with repeated demands: "Get up. Get up." On and on.

Darling Hubby laughs and shakes his head. I know he's thinking I'm crazy, but I don't care. By now, he ought to know I'm quirky.

Then I start laughing too. It makes starting the day much easier when I'd rather go back to bed and pull the covers over my head.

This week I continued the trend of getting started faster each day by testing the free Alexa Skill: Good Morning Gorgeous.

This skill is a little different. It gives a positive thought to start the day and then it pays you a compliment. If you don't receive compliments very often, this may make your day! *LOL*

About Good Morning Gorgeous

Begin every morning with an inspirational good morning phrase, followed by a compliment. It's never too early to hear you're gorgeous or to be inspired.

Come back each day to hear a new quote that will jump start your day. You will never wake up on the wrong side of the bed with Good Morning Gorgeous.

Skill Details

Free to Enable, this skill contains dynamic content. To start the skill say: "good morning gorgeous."

Takeaway Truth

This may be silly, but Good Morning Gorgeous does put a smile on my face.

Short and Sweet: Why Do Writers Write?

Well, the cray-cray week continues.

Did you ever wonder why authors write? I mean, most of us complain about how hard and exhausting it is even though it's something we love to do.

So why do we do it? There are much easier ways to torture oneself...much easier ways to make a living.

The truth, I guess, is that it's some compulsion inside us. Even the famous authors are sometimes stumped by the question, "Why do authors write?"

H. L. Mencken once said: "Why authors write, I do not know. As well ask why a hen lays an egg or a cow stands patiently while a farmer burglarizes her."

Takeaway Truth

That sounds as if it is an undeniable compulsion or plain stupidity. Maybe it's a combination of both. *ROTFL*

What do you think?

Short and Sweet: Literary Vs. Commercial Fiction

It's one of those weeks. Again.

That means, I'm publishing Short and Sweet Posts.

Today, let's succinctly tackle the literary versus commercial fiction conundrum.

Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the hugely successful Left Behind book series that also sold to the movies said this about the subject.

"I know I'm never going to be revered as some classic writer. I don't claim to be C. S. Lewis. The literary-type writers, I admire them. I wish I was smart enough to write a book that's hard to read, you know?"

Takeaway Truth

Writing any book is hard work. It's exhausting creating something that exists only in the brain. Whatever you write, be proud of it. There's an audience for every kind of writing.